Echoes from Darkspace
by OriginEarth
Summary: A year has passed since the Reapers have been defeated. Shepard has made a slow recovery from her injuries but now faces new challenges. Most of her crew has gone their separate ways to assist with the aftermath of the Reaper invasion. Shepard has struggled to with her demons ever since her recovery but she may face her most difficult obstacle to date: her own crew.
1. Chapter 1 - Nightmares

_Shepard..._

That name constantly repeated through her head. Darkness all around and closing in. So alone...so cold.

_You will not survive this final confrontation. You will fail. All you have done has only served to postpone the inevitable._

Flaring red fires raged around her. She felt heat burning across her face and blinding white filled her vision. The images of the Normandy and her crew came into her mind. The faces of those she cared about...and loved. As she walked through the corridors she saw them standing there as if they had gone about their business and were suddenly frozen in place. Shepard moved with caution. This did not feel right.

_You will submit. It is your destiny._

She found herself on the bridge. Faces of her crew stared off aimlessly, eyes blank and void of life. She moved her way through the bridge toward the cockpit where she found Joker sitting in his pilot's seat.

"Joker...what is our heading?" She asked and got no answer. She expected as much.

_You continued to fight us but you will ultimately fail._

"Joker, what is wrong with everyone?" She reached for the chair to turn it. The chair turned easily without much effort as it automatically rotated all on its own. She looked down upon the face of her pilot, expecting to see the same empty look she had seen on all the others but what she saw had her reeling back in shock. Joker's eyes glowed with an eerie blue that was all too familiar. His skin darkened by creeping tendrils of black. The husk-like qualities of his appearance were not expected.

"Joker?!" The husk Joker sprung from his chair with unusual speed, especially for Joker, lunging for Shepard and grabbing for her. Shepard was just fast enough to avoid the first attack and draw her pistol. She raised the gun and took aim, ready to pull the trigger but her finger wouldn't budge. Husk Joker was already turning to attack her again but she couldn't bring herself to shoot him.

Shepard turned and began to run. Something had triggered the rest of the crew and they were awakening as she passed but they were not returning as their normal selves, instead they too were turning into husks.

A husk donning the Alliance uniform of one of her crew tried to tackle her as she passed but she slipped by and managed to knock back a second with the butt of her pistol. She raced through the bridge, slipping through the fingers of others that were moving to intercept her.

As she neared the elevator she came face-to-face with Samantha, now also a husk. "I'm sorry about this, Traynor..." She said as she grabbed the husk and tossed her out of the way then punched the elevator call button. The doors opened as she continued to fend off the husks of her crew and she turned to head inside. She halted in her pah as a familiar face came stepping out of the elevator into her before her.

"No..." Shepard quickly backed away, raising her pistol but she had no will to pull the trigger. An indoctrinated Garrus approached, rifle in hand and taking aim at her. The eerie glow of his eyes and the darkened touch of Reaper influence made him seem warped. The rifle's scope trained upon her and she could see the tension in his hand as his grip began to tighten on the trigger.

"Garrus—please don't make me do this." She raised the pistol, her resolve wavering. Killing Reapers was one thing but these were husks of her crew. Her friends and family...her lover. She fought terrors untold but could she really bring herself to kill the people she cared about? Even if they were indoctrinated?

_Shepard..._

She raised her pistol, finger trembling on the trigger as she took aim Garrus. Her heart felt like a block of lead within her chest.

He was pulling the trigger. She heard a click.

_SHEPARD!_

The thunder of a gun blast filled her ears and she saw a brilliant flash of white.

"Shepard! Wake up!"

White filled her vision but there was no pain from the bullet. Someone was gripping her by her shoulders instead and shaking her desperately. She opened her eyes with a start and found herself sitting upright in her own bed. She gave one last desperate look around the room and found it was dark, all save for a desk lap on a nearby table. The tangle of sheets had been pushed back off the bed and were spilling onto the floor. Her heart still raced and her breathing was sharp and came in ragged gasps. Her body shook as the shock of the nightmare finally began to fade.

"Shepard?" Garrus's voice was as smooth as ever but filled with concern. Shepard turned her head to look at him. He still gripped her shoulders and was now keeping her from falling over. "What happened? Are you feeling alright? You were having a nightmare."

She still shook but she finally gained some motor control. Her hands raised to the side of his head, palms resting upon his mandibles as she sat up to look into his eyes. No signs of glowing or traces of the dark touch of indoctrination. She let out a ragged sigh and with it a wave of tension came off her body.

"I'm fine...now." She breathed then and a smile weakly curled at one corner of her lips. Garrus continued to sit, not fighting off her touch but still looking very worried.

"Alright. If you say so. But if you want to talk about it...you know." He'd finally let her go when it seemed she was capable of sitting up on her own, his hand raised to take one of her own and his fingers curled around her own. "You had me worried there for a minute."

"You? Worried?" Shepard's eyes blinked open and she could see the genuine concern in his face. Nightmares had been a fairly common occurrence for her ever since the Reaper war had ended nearly a year ago. She'd spoken with Alliance councilors and seen therapists since then but most wrote it off as PTSD. She was one of many soldiers affected by the war and in more ways than just nightmares.

But this nightmare was different. That voice she had heard sounded almost familiar. A part of her didn't want to recognize it but she continued to ponder on it. It almost sounded like...Harbinger. He'd been destroyed during the war when the Crucible fired. At least...that's what the reports had claimed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" His voice was calm but she could hear the effort he took not to sound too worried. She looked at him again, fingers momentarily brushing across the scarred skin along his neck before she rose to get out of bed.

"I'm fine. Really. It was just a nightmare." She didn't want him to worry. She'd put him through enough worrying. Her near death during the war had put enough stress on him. She still had a hard time forgiving herself for forcing him to leave on the Normandy during the final push. She just couldn't stand to see him lost. She'd lost so many others. If she lost him too...

"I need to take a shower and get dressed. I have an early morning briefing to get to." She said as she began to cross the room, heading toward the bathroom. She looked back at him and it was easy to spot the unconvinced look in his eyes. He knew her too well. In all the years they'd known each other and been together they had gotten too good at reading one another.

"Try not to look so serious. That brooding look doesn't suit you." Shepard teased as she opened the bathroom door. She saw one of his eye ridges raise and the hints of a "smirk" as his mandibles twitched. "_That's_ more like it."

* * *

Earth had suffered terrible collateral damage during the war. Even after a year there were still a number of repairs that needed to be done. The most used buildings were the first to be rebuilt once the main sections of the cities had been cleared of debris. The central command building in Vancouver was where Shepard had been stationed in the meantime.

It was the same place she had been held during her investigation when the Reapers first landed. That was nearly two years ago now but the way time had passed it felt much longer. She was surprised by how much the building had recovered since then. And yet, she still thought she heard the growl of Reaper forces as they pressed in like before. There was a tickling at the back of her mind that bothered her. It was like an itch she couldn't reach. She'd had this feeling many times since her recovery. That eerie feeling like she might see a great black shapes descending through the clouds once more and begin to lay waste to the city, just as they had on that day.

She paused in front of the building to look up at the newly finished memorial. It's swooping, arching design was a work of honor but it was frivolous considering how many other buildings needed repair. There were names of those who had died etched into the stone and a beacon light that sent an eternal beam off into the heavens to honor their sacrifice. It didn't take Shepard long to spot Anderson's name written in its surface, she looked for it every time she passed.

"I hope you're resting well, Anderson." She said to herself as she made her way toward the building.

She was nearly to the front doors when a voice called out to her. "Captain!"

Shepard paused in her tracks and turned to see Ashley approaching. "Commander Williams. A pleasant surprise." She said with smile. "I thought they had you off on your own ship patrolling the outer systems."

"They did. We're back for maintenance and repairs." She stepped in alongside Shepard and began to follow her inside. "How have you been doing? Still laid up on medical leave?"

"No, I've been put back on duty as of a month ago but confined to desk duty. I won't see any real action until my therapists say I'm clear." If they ever did. Every session was filled with asking questions to seek answers she didn't seem to know. Being grounded her had her feeling restless. Shepard felt perfectly fit and mentally well...mostly.

"They can't keep you grounded forever. I'm surprised you haven't stormed the Normandy and taken it by force." Ashley teased as they made their way past the security checkpoint.

"No, Commander, I'm afraid those days are behind me." Shepard said as she flashed her ID badge at a security officer.

"Yeah, until another giant monster from dark space flies in here and threatens to take over." Ash said with a smirk.

"Let's not push our luck, Ash." Shepard said with a shake of her head and a quiet smile. They made their way to the briefing office. Shepard was rather surprised when Ash followed along to the same office she had been called to.

"I guess we're here for the same briefing then." Shepard said as they settled into the room. "What were you called here for, Williams?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." Ash said as she sat herself down at the meeting table. "I had figured with my ship dry docked they'd want to keep me busy doing paperwork."

"Yeah...paperwork." Shepard had grown tired of the slow, monotonous work. It paled in comparison to flying around trying to save the galaxy. But this was the price of peace. Most of the exciting work was keeping pirates and raiders at bay as they ran rampant through the system, preying on the weakened colonies or ships passing into unprotected zones. Others were put in place watching the outer rim of the galaxy...just in case there were any Reapers waiting in dark space that had been spared by the Crucible. So far the Reapers were all presumed defeated. There remains were still scattered but those that had been found were dismantled and their parts pushed into nearby stars to be destroyed.

"No paperwork. Not for you, anyway." An unfamiliar soldier entered the room carrying a stack of datapads. His hair was a mess and his glasses looked as though they were about to fall off his nose. The man barely made it to the table with his datapads when they began to slip. He managed to set down half on the table and the rest spilled over on the floor.

"Dammit! Sorry...did I keep you waiting long?" The man pushed his glasses up his nose and for a moment Shepard could only stare. It was surprising they were being briefed by someone so disorganized. She bent down to gather what had fallen within her reach and placed them on the table.

"No, we've only been here for a few minutes." Shepard said as the man continued to collect his work.

"Uh huh..." Ash said and exchanged a fleeting look with Shepard. Shepard just shrugged and looked at the man.

"So are you the one briefing us, Lieutenant...?" Shepard stretched that last part out and waited for the man to fill in the blanks for her. His collar stripes marked him as a Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Benjamin Hopper!" The man straightened up and saluted them both." ...Ma'am. Captain Shepard—er, sorry. It's an honor to meet you." The man seemed to fidget as he stood there. Shepard was used to this kind of reaction to meeting her by now. Many people seemed to have a nervous reaction when they first met her.

"At ease, Lieutenant." Shepard said with a laugh. "I'm just curious what you called us here for. If Commander Williams was assigned to this then it must be important."

Hopper seemed a little more at ease once Shepard joked and he began shuffling through his materials. "Yes! Well, it is important. And only suitable for the amazing Captain Shepard-" He looked at Ashley after pausing for a moment. "-and Commander Williams...of course."

"Just tell us why we're here." Ash said shortly. She was beginning to grow impatient with this man.

"Oh! Sorry! Let me just...ah, yes! Here it is." He pulled out one datapad in particular and began searching through it. When he found what he was looking for he raised his arm and used his omni-tool to do the rest. A chart appeared before them.

"Over the last year there have been a number of strange...occurrences. Mainly a strange phenomenon that has been happening with stars. There's several incidents of stars aging rapidly and without an apparent catalyst to cause the sudden aging." Ben's omni-tool changed several times as he spoke, showing what he spoke of in images and numbers, most of which Shepard couldn't comprehend.

"I've encountered this before. It happened on a mission when I was working...with Cerberus." She'd almost said "for Cerberus" but corrected herself at the last moment. She noticed a tug at the corners of Ash's lips, this was still a sore topic for the both of them.

"I already know. The Dholen System in the Far Rim. That's one of the target stars I've been studying. The Quarian scientists were kind enough to send me all available data they collected on the star. I've been comparing it with other data I've been studying. All of them seem to share some patterns. In systems that have occupants present on nearby planets there have been records of people experiencing odd symptoms."

"Symptoms? What kind of symptoms?" Shepard was curious.

"Most seem pretty common at first. Loss of sleep, listlessness, sudden loss of appetite, hallucinations. But then after a while they begin to act out of character. They have sudden emotional outbursts, unexplained crippling pain...several have even been driven to take their own lives. And all only seem to happen within the vicinity of the star being affected."

"Did any of them report...ah...nightmares?" Shepard asked, trying her best to sound nonchalant.

Ben just shook his head. "No, but if they did they didn't share it. It is possible there are other symptoms that weren't reported but these are the main ones that have been recorded. They don't affect all citizens either but enough to be noticeable."

"When your population suddenly starts to act crazy its kind of hard not to notice." Ash said in a wry tone of voice.

"That's not even the strangest part." Ben said, carrying on with his explanation. "They all seem to have the same experiences, no matter the individuals. Human, asari, salarian, turian...they all talk about a strange darkness and seeing images of people they know being taken over or loved ones who have died. It might be due to recent stress because of the war but...we can't really say for certain."

"So what are we here for?" Ash was straight to business. She didn't seem as interested in all this information, not as much as Shepard was.

"Oh...right. Well, I need a ship to take me to a recently affected star for study. I figured since Captain Shepard and the Normandy crew has experience with this situation then it would be prudent to have them take me." Ben closed his omni-tool.

"Well...there's a few things wrong with that." Shepard started. "I haven't been cleared yet by my doctors."

"I know, that is why Commander Williams has been asked along. She has command experience and is a previous member of your crew. My superiors said as long as she was along then the mission was cleared to go." Ben explained to them both.

"I was starting to wonder why I was asked along to this." Ash sat up, looking over to Shepard. "I'm game so long as you are fine with it, Captain."

Shepard sat up too. She was feeling excited to have the chance to be out flying on the Normandy again. "If it gets me away from paperwork and back into space then I'll take you anywhere you want, Ash."

"Great!" Ben said loudly and quickly looked embarrassed at his outburst. "Sorry! So...uh, that is all for now. I have some materials I'll need brought to the Normandy. I...should start on that. It was great meeting you Captain Shepard...and Commander Williams." Ben was quick to gather his materials and hurry out, dropping a couple of datapads as he hastily left.

Shepard chuckled as she stood and collected the fallen datapads as Ash followed. "Ben seems like the type of guy who could use a lesson in slowing down. I'll just give these to him later."

"I think he could use a few lessons in organization while he's at it. I'm surprised he made it to Lieutenant." Ash said with a shake of her head.

"Don't be so harsh, Ash. I remember a young Lieutenant I met once who was willing to throw her life on the line. He's just...spirited."

"If you say so." Ash breathed a sigh and they made their way out into the lobby of the building. The crowds had grown in number as people came and went from lunch.

"Garrus is going to meet me here for lunch. You want to tag along?" Shepard began to say to Ash as they made their way through the lobby. "We were thinking about going to-" Shepard's train of thought was lost as she looked across the lobby and spotted a familiar figure. Even through the moving crowd she recognized the person. Without warning she started off toward them.

Shepard moved with a purpose through the crowd; turning and ducking past them when she could and even going so far as to shove by them to clear herself a path. She was slowly drawing closer to the figure but she could only see them from behind. It was unmistakable, she knew this person!

"Anderson!" She called out his name as she neared, ready to reach out and grab his shoulder but at the last minute a person passed in between them and in an instant Anderson vanished. Shepard came to an immediate stop, hand still raised and standing there dumbfounded as she looked around. She swore it was Anderson she saw but-

"Shepard!" Ash's voice came from behind her and she heard Ash approaching where she stood. "What are you doing?!"

Shepard suddenly realizing how many people were staring at her. She lowered her hand and turned to face Ash.

"I thought I saw-" Shepard paused. Telling Ash she saw Anderson would make her sound crazy. Anderson was dead. "-someone I knew. But it wasn't."

"No kidding. There's no one there." Ash's gaze was locked onto Shepard, trying to determine if she was okay. "Shepard, are you feeling alri-"

Ash's question was cut short as a sudden scream cut the air. "What now?!" Ash asked with a huff as the two quickly began to hurry toward the commotion. They were nearing the front doors where the security checkpoint was and came upon a crowd that was standing back in a width berth around something. All of them seemed to be frozen in place.

"What is it?!" Shepard demanded of the nearest officer.

The young woman she addressed didn't move but looked at Shepard from the corner of her eye and spoke in a hushed voice. "Some crazy man with a gun. He has a woman hostage."

"What?!" Shepard had to move to try to see over the crowd but she couldn't see much from her vantage point. She reached down to her hip where her pistol normally would have been. She'd been forced to leave it at home due to security restrictions.

"Dammit!" She cursed under her breath then began to try and make her way through the crowd.

"Sir, put the gun down." She could hear a guard trying to talk the man down as she came in closer. "If you go peacefully then no one has to get hurt."

"I don't give a shit if anyone gets hurt! I want her here, now!" The man's voice sounded crazed, his voice cracked as he spoke. Shepard caught a glimpse of the man as she drew closer. The man looked wild and unkempt, his eyes were wide and pupils constricted. Lines of stress were etched upon his face but he didn't appear all that old.

"Sir, just put the gun down." The guard urged again, keeping his assault rifle raised but not aiming it directly at the man or hostage. The woman the man had in his grip looked fearful and tears were running down her cheeks as she whimpered.

"Get me Shepard!" The man demanded, his pistol pressing harder into the side of the woman's head. "Now or I blow a hole in this bitch's head!"

"I'm right here!" Shepard said, pushing past the crowd who readily made way for her to get past. She stepped into the open and stood where the man could see her. "I'll do what you want...but you have to let her go."

The man's wild gaze turned to Shepard, his eyes seemed to whirl even more with madness as he looked upon her. "Shepard..." His voice was nothing but a hiss and his grip loosened on the woman.

"Yes, it's me. Shepard. Now, please, just let the woman go."

The man did as he was asked and shoved the woman down. The panicked woman fell and scrambled out of the way. The guards seemed ready to fire but he swung the pistol around...and trained it upon Shepard. Shepard froze in her steps, hands raised but making no other motion.

"What do you want from me?!" Shepard demanded, her gaze still focused upon the madman. She could see him even better now. He appeared to be in his early twenties, his face unshaven and his uncared for. He could have passed as a homeless man but his clothing didn't seem in poor repair, other than being wrinkled.

"You broke the silence, Shepard! The depths of madness have only begun to awaken!" The man rambled on, his voice almost gleeful as he spoke. "You are savior and destroyer. A threat to us all. Your continued existence will only become a burden." His eyes seemed to narrow as he watched her.

Shepard felt strange then, like a pressure was being exerted upon her. A cold chill ran down her spine and she felt a sudden pain through her body. It took all her control not to falter or show any pain.

"I don't know what you are trying to say." She said to the man with strain audible in her voice.

"Don't act as if you do not know! The viewers will see! You are a danger! You were never meant to survive!" The man's finger tightened on the trigger. "This is your end!"

Shepard didn't wait for the man to react, she lunged at him. The madman squeezed the trigger and a shot rang out through the air.

Ribbons of red spread through the air and showered across the ground. Blood rained down over Shepard as the madman fell dead to the ground with a bullet in his head.

"Goddamnit Shepard!" An angered voice rang out through the silenced crowd. Garrus was making his way through, shouldering past people, a borrowed assault rifle in hand. "What did I tell you about charging people with gun aimed at you?!"

It took Shepard a moment to compose herself, she starred upon the fallen man with a puddle of crimson growing around him. The voices around her were all just noise. The smell of blood was thick in the air. She'd seen plenty of people dead before but...this was different somehow. She still felt the cold and pressure pressing down upon her, now even more so.

"Shepard?!" She felt a hand grip her shoulder and forced her to turn. She locked eyes with Garrus as he turned her to face him. He still seemed angry but that anger changed to concern when he saw she wasn't quite there mentally at that moment. "Shepard...I-"

"Don't." She said firmly but the tension quickly melted. "I'm fine. I just...need a minute." The crowd was beginning to move now as people went about their business and the guards made sure to steer onlookers away. The cry of sirens outside made it clear that the authorities had arrived.

"We're going have to take a rain check on that lunch, Ash."


	2. Chapter 2 - The Normandy

Streaks of red and white slashed across the sky outside as debris fell through the atmosphere. Debris showers were a common occurrence since the end of the war with the Reapers. Most of the debris burned up before it could reach the ground but they had force fields raised to protect the infrastructure from the debris that made it to Earth. It was beautiful, in a way, how the faint traces of war flared across the sky.

Shepard had washed off the blood from the madman once she got back to her living quarters but she still felt unclean. She felt...marked.

_Did you know this individual? Did he have a vendetta against you? _The investigators had been through in their questioning but she assured them she had no idea who that madman was or why he wanted to harm her. There were plenty out there who would love to see her dead but not any civilians she knew of. They assured her they would keep her updated on anything they found out about the unnamed man but she wasn't expecting them to find any connection.

She sat by the window watching the sky a moment longer then turned to see the datapads Ben had dropped after their meeting sitting on the table nearby. She rose from her chair and picked up the topmost one. She began to flip through it but she didn't know what she hoped to find in it. Most of the data was just numbers and charts of findings, nothing really interesting.

"_What are you looking for, Shepard?_" A voice whispered into her ear. The hair along the back of her neck prickled and her gaze rose from the datapad.

"Anderson?" She answered in a hushed voice.

"Feeling better?" It wasn't Anderson who answered but a different, more familiar voice. Shepard turned to see Garrus standing nearby with a drink in each hand. "I figured you could use something to help take the edge off." He said as he approached her and offered her a drink.

"You read my mind." She said as she accepted the drink. She immediately took a drink from the glass; the burn of alcohol was a welcome feeling. Obviously she was still stressed from earlier and hearing things. She needed to just relax.

"You had a rough day. Having to deal with stuffy offices...and crazy lunatics shooting at you." He almost sounded amused. "It's nice to know even a year later things still manage to stay interesting when famous Shepard is involved."

"Yeah...if it isn't Reapers it's something else. It feels like the galaxy enjoys throwing danger my way. Maybe I'm cursed?" She sank down onto the couch and drank from her glass.

"Hm...well, maybe. I've never really believed in curses myself. But with you I'd believe in almost anything." He sank down beside her, one arm stretching out across the back of the seat behind her. She immediately leaned into his side. Even after a year he'd stuck by her; something about that nagged at her.

"Garrus..." She started to say as she looked down into her glass. She suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

"What is it?" He just answered in his naturally calm manner. He always had a way of putting her at ease without much effort.

"...Why didn't you return to Palaven after the war?" She'd thought about this for a long time but never got up the nerve to ask. Her injuries had put her out of commission for a while and there was no telling when she would be back on regular missions. The Normandy had been missing for nearly three months after the war ended and showed up when she was still dealing with the worst of her injuries. Garrus was quick to find her and from then on stuck by her. That was something she wanted to understand.

He just blinked slowly, steel-blue eyes seeming as relaxed as ever. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"I'm just curious. I've been thinking about the past a lot recently. The war...everyone we lost. There's still a lot of rebuilding to be done. Your people could use your help. Your father and sister..." She looked into his eyes, trying to find the answer there. "...everyone else left to help rebuild and protect their own worlds. Why didn't you?"

"I thought it would be obvious." He answered and she felt his arm move to rest around her shoulders and he pulled her in closer. "Shepard, you and I have been through a lot together. We fought Saren and Sovereign. We faced the collectors and Cerberus. We even went against all the odds and defeated the Reapers. You helped me out a number of times and even-" He stopped then, at a loss for words. "-you even gave me a reason to live. Cheesy as that sounds."

"Maybe a little cheesy...but I don't mind cheesy." He was good at showing his feelings when it was just them. It had been a challenge for him at first but as they began to open up to one another he learned to let his guard down around her.

"I'm glad you think so."

She was silent a moment after that, unsure what more to say. Without giving it much thought she spoke. "I saw Anderson today."

Garrus didn't immediately react to that revelation. It took several moments for him to answer her. "You don't mean..._the _Anderson...right?"

"I do." She felt crazy admitting it but she needed to confide in someone. She trusted Garrus the most. "I don't know how but I know it was him. It looked like him but there are more to it than that. I just _knew_ it was him. I can't tell you how I knew I just...knew. He was standing there in the lobby."

Garrus still seemed unsure. He didn't seem to think she was crazy, he was just trying to think up an explanation. "Maybe it was just someone who looked like Anderson? I hate to admit it but even I have a hard time telling you humans apart sometimes."

Shepard gave him a mock look of disapproval but there was no substance behind it. She knew he was just teasing her to lighten the moment.

"Maybe. I don't know. I was sure it was him."

"You've been under a lot of stress lately. From work and therapy...and that whole incident earlier."

"I saw him just before that." She quickly interjected.

"Well, still, it could have been a trick of the light."

Shepard knew it was hopeless trying to convince him. She decided it was pointless for the time being; but in her mind that scene continued to play out. "You're probably right."

"Of course I am. Haven't you learned that by now? I'm never wrong." She felt his fingers brush over her hair as he looked down at her. "Well...almost never."

* * *

The Normandy had come and gone away on missions since the end of the war. Leaving such an important and well-respected vessel dry docked would be a waste of a good ship; especially with resources in high demand and the need for long-range communication with the mass relays still in disrepair. Massive teams of scientists and engineers from all races were working together to develop plans to rebuild the mass relays but they said it would be three or more years before they were ready for long-distance travel once more. Until then long distance traveling was kept to priority missions.

Apparently Ben's research was top priority to someone high up because it had gotten approved by their superiors. Not only that, but the Normandy was assigned to the mission. Someone in the higher ranks obviously had an interest in Ben's findings.

Shepard reached the Normandy early. She wanted a chance to explore her old ship before they made their departure. The ship was quiet and only a few of the engineering crewmen had shown up for pre-flight checks. Shepard stepped onto the ship for first time in what felt like forever. Not much had changed in a year. There had been some necessary upgrades made to key components but nothing had really moved. It almost felt like the same Normandy she had left behind a year ago.

She was feeling nostalgic, memories of her last voyage came flooding back. She wasn't sure then what would happen or if she would even survive. She nearly lost her life that day and she had lost several good friends along the way. She stood on the platform overlooking the galaxy map and watched as the glittering map materialized before her.

She reminisced a while longer then continued to explore the rest of the ship. She started at her quarters and made her way down to the crew deck but found only a few changes. As she paused to examine the medical bay she thought she heard voices coming from inside the AI core. That was strange since EDI's processors was destroyed when crucible was fired. She entered the room to find Joker inside and alone.

"Joker?" It was odd seeing him here so early. He was working on the machine within.

"Commander!" He answered back, turning to face her. He looked like a kid who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "You're early. I was trying to get everything ready before you arrived."

"You're here early too. You didn't have to do anything special for my arrival, though. And it's Captain now, remember?" It felt good to see him. She had only seen Joker a handful of times over the past year. He'd kept busy ever since the end of the war. She suspected it was to keep himself from thinking about the loss of EDI. He'd never said anything about it and she suspected he never would if not prompted. Now was not the time, however.

"Oh, right, Captain Shepard. You finally convinced them all that the Reapers were real _and _pulled their asses out of the fire and they finally decide to promote you. About time. It's gonna be a pain to get used to though."

"You'll get it eventually." Shepard said with a smirk. She gave a quiet chuckle but didn't comment on what he said. It really wasn't her place to speak ill of their superiors.

"Yeah...probably." Joker seemed distracted for a moment and at a loss for words. "Either way...it's good to have to back."

"It feels good to be back." She replied honestly. The Normandy was where she belonged. It always felt like home. Hopefully after this mission the Alliance would allow her more missions aboard the Normandy.

"So what are you doing here in the AI core?" She decided to ask. He usually did routine checks now that EDI wasn't around to do them but there wasn't any reason for him to be here in the AI core. At least no reason she could think of.

"I was just making sure everything was in order before you showed up, Shepard." He seemed so innocent saying that but she didn't quite buy it.

"Uh huh...and what is the _real _reason?"

"I would be that reason, Shepard." A voice Shepard did not expected to hear spoke. Shepard looked shocked.

"EDI?!" Shepard barely managed to say that name. She thought she might be imagining things again. "H-How can you-?! I thought you were destroyed after I fired the crucible."

"She was." Joker answered. "But she wasn't entirely wiped out. Her processes were damaged during the blast but she managed to back-up her vital functions. Adams and Tali helped me salvage her back-ups and begin rewriting her programming. A lot of her data just before the crucible fired was corrupted but we managed to work around that."

"Tali?" Now there was a name she hadn't heard in a while. "Is she still here?"

"Naw, she had to head back to Rannoch a couple of months ago. Adams and I have been working to bring her back to how she was before but...well, it's a work in progress."

"Keep it up. Hopefully you'll have her to her old self soon." Shepard nodded in approval. EDI was smart, it made sense she would provide a fail-safe in the event she was damaged.

"It is good functioning properly again, Shepard." EDI said, though she sounded a bit off.

"I'm glad to have you back, EDI. I imagine you've thought up some new questions that need answering." Shepard mused.

"Error: this class of questioning does fit into any of the allotted routines. Can you restate?" EDI answered. Shepard gave Joker a confused look to which he shrugged.

"There's still a few bugs that need working on. She's been out for a while."

"I know that feeling...well, keep me updated. I'm going to go check out the rest of the Normandy. I need to make sure things haven't changed _too _much while I was away." She nodded to Joker.

"Will do, Comm—Captain. I really need to get used to that..." Joker said with a shake of his head. Shepard just smiled and turned to go.

"Oh, and Shepard." She paused and looked back at Joker as he spoke. "Welcome back."

* * *

Shepard spent the remainder of the morning exploring the rest of the Normandy and getting reacquainted with it. It didn't take her long to greet some of the old and new faces of the crew. She was pleased to see Cortez still working in the armory and shuttle bay. She also ran into Adams, Donnelly, and Daniels in engineering. Just as she was leaving to head back up to the CIC she ran into Ben as he was exiting the elevator.

"Learning your way around, Hopper?" Shepard said as she approached him. He was carrying several bags and a box full of supplies. He certainly arrived ready for the mission.

"Captain! Er, sorry I cannot greet you properly. I'm kind of...uh, at max capacity." He tried to shift around the things he was carrying to raise a hand to salute her. Shepard quickly moved in to take the box from him just as it was about to spill over.

"At ease, Hopper. There's no need for formalities here. Let me help you with that."

"Thanks. I'm headed to starboard cargo hold. I heard that I could setup my things there. I have a few more crates to bring down."

"_Crates_? It sounds like you came prepared for every possible situation."

That made Ben laugh. "No, I haven't gone quite that far...not this time. I have all the tools I need to conduct my research. There was a turian up top who offered to help me. I think he's still struggling with what I left him with."

_Sounds like Garrus_, she thought. "Let's just get this to the cargo hold."

"Aye, ma'am." Ben lead the way into the hold. Not even a year ago Diana Allers had claimed this room and before that it had been Zaeed Massani. Now it had a new occupant, and hopefully not one not quite so invasive as Allers had been. She put Ben's things down and looked around the room. So many had come and gone through here over the years.

"This space should be perfect for my lab." Ben said as he began unloading his things onto a desk in the corner. "I hope you don't mind that I brought along so much."

"As long as you have all the things you need to complete your experiment." Shepard said as she watched him unpack. He pulled out what appeared to be a photograph and placed it upon the desk. She leaned in to see what was in the frame. It was an oddly familiar old man.

Ben noticed Shepard looking at the photo and gave a proud smile. "Albert Einstein. Are you familiar with his work?"

"I know all the important things about him...I guess."

"He's something of a hero of mine. A man who came up with a number of world breaking theories in physics. Um...I won't bore you with the details, though."

"So, Einstein is your hero, huh?" She picked up the picture and looked at it a little closer.

"One among many. I was actually nicknamed Einstein in basic training. Not the worst nickname I could have been given but I don't think they meant it as a compliment."

"So, do you prefer Hopper or Einstein?" Shepard asked as she set the photo back down onto the desk.

"I won't stop you from calling me either. I know you won't mean it as a jab...I hope."

Shepard chuckled and shook her head. "Of course not. You've obviously earned your place in the Alliance and the higher-ups seem impressed enough with you to give you this mission."

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from the famous Captain Shepard." Ben seemed a bit sheepish suddenly. "I admit, when they said I'd be going on a mission with you I had some...apprehension."

"Relax, Einstein. I'm sure you'll fit in just fine."

"If you say so, Captain."

The door to the room opened and the first thing to appear was a large crate that was immediately followed by Garrus. "Make room." He said as he carried the crate inside. "Where do you want this?" Ben pointed to a clear spot on the nearby floor and Garrus set the crate down.

Garrus took a moment to stretch and wiped his brow with the back of his hand, pretending to wipe away sweat. "Sorry that took so long. This crate isn't nearly as light as it looks."

"What's wrong? Big strong turian not able to cut it anymore?" Shepard teased.

Garrus just laughed. "Funny, I didn't hear any complaints from you." Garrus rolled his shoulders and looked down at the crate. "This guy has more stuff than you do, Shepard. What is in here anyway? Shoes?" Garrus reached for the lid of the crate and pulled it off.

"No, don't open that!" Ben called out in warning but it was too late. As soon as the lid came off something came flying out of the open crate and quickly began bouncing around the room. It moved in a blur too fast to keep up with. Shepard reached for her pistol. Garrus was faster, however, and already had his assault rifle out.

"Nobody move!" Garrus warned as he took aim.

"No! Stop!" Ben cried out, throwing up his arms to get their attention. The shape came to a stop and clung to Ben before crawling up to perch upon his shoulders. A long, ringed tail curled around his neck.

Garrus lowered his rifle and Shepard took her hand off of her gun. It took her a moment to realize what the creature was. "Is that a...pyjak?"

"I'm sorry...I couldn't leave him at home. He's part of my experiments." Though, the way Ben was scratching the pyjak's head made Shepard wonder if it wasn't more of a pet.

"Ok, but I don't want him leaving these quarters. I'd rather not have a pyjak turning up in out vital systems or digging through our food supplies."

"You won't! He has a very strict diet. He's not interested in most human foods...and certainly not dextro-foods." He added on with a glance at Garrus.

"Is that similar to what you wanted to get, Shepard? A-what did you call it—cat?" Garrus commented with a look at Shepard.

"No, cats are for more docile than pyjaks...not that Erwin here is misbehaved." Ben answered first.

"Erwin?" Shepard asked with a raised brow.

"Erwin Schrödinger. He's a another famous...er, maybe I'll tell you later." Ben again looked sheepish.

"Uh huh...well, I don't think Commander Williams will be as lenient as I am so just...keep him under control." Shepard said with a nod.

"I will! And I should really get him back inside his kennel and get my things unpacked. It was nice meeting you both."

"Nice meeting you too, Einstein." Shepard with with an amused smile as she and Garrus left. They headed to the elevator.

"He's certainly a strange one. Though, I guess we've had stranger occupants aboard the Normandy. What did you call him? Einstein?" Garrus began to say as he tapped the call button for the elevator.

"That's just a nickname. His real name is Benjamin Hopper."

"I have a feeling this trip is going to be more than we bargained for." Garrus said just as the elevator doors opened and they both moved inside. Shepard hit the button for the CIC and just as she did she felt a pair of arms snag her waist and suddenly she was face-to-face with Garrus.

"Now what was that you said about me not being able to cut it anymore?" Garrus had a gleam of mischief in his eyes.

Shepard grinned. "You have been getting pretty soft lately. I guess that's expected the way you laze about watching vids all day." She teased.

"You're just asking for trouble." Garrus said with an amused flutter of his mandibles as the elevator doors slid shut.


End file.
